1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid product sampler package for insertion in magazines, catalogs, and periodicals delivered to consumers through the mail system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturers of cosmetics, toiletries, beauty and skincare products, etc. commonly promote their products by distributing free samples to current or potential consumers with the goal of building and/or maintaining customer loyalty for the products or product lines. Each sample is packaged in a disposable sampler unit which is generally sized to contain approximately one unit dose of the product in an attractive display having artwork or informational copy print printed thereon, and preferably has a transparent or translucent cover film. A sampler package having these aesthetic features will encourage the potential customer to sample the product and enable the consumer to view the actual product to thereby choose the preferred shade or color prior to opening the package.
One method of distributing such samples has been to distribute them to potential customers in a store in which the product is sold. A further reaching, more effective method has been to mail the samplers to a targeted audience through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Typically, the samplers are mailed as inserts in brochures, catalogs, magazines, or the like.
For distribution through the USPS, the samplers can be mailed either under a non-discounted rate classification or under a more economical periodical/subscription rate classification. To qualify for classification under the subscription rate, each sampler package must comply with certain guidelines set by the USPS. For example, certain of these guidelines specify that the unit must be firmly affixed to a carrier card or to a page of the periodical, and that the sampler must be designed to allow the product to be sampled while still in the periodical. Sampler packages for distribution as inserts must also be non-bulky and sufficiently flexible to avoid breakage in shipment or storage, yet rigid enough to facilitate high speed insertion into the carrier medium.
When the product to be sampled is a fluid and/or volatile composition such as a liquid, gel or paste, USPS regulations mandate that the sampler package must also be capable of withstanding the substantial compressional forces exerted on the samples when inserted in periodicals such as magazines or catalogs which are then stacked for storage or distribution.
In one type of prior art sampler package as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,885 to Daniel et al., a liquid fragrance sample is disposed in a container made of gelatin which is designed to distribute compressive forces away from the portion containing the sample so as to avoid rupture during shipment or storage. This container, however, provides thickened edges surrounding the sample-containing portion, and also concentrates the volume of the sample into a cylindrical central region. When the disclosed sampler package is placed as inserts in a stack of magazines or the like, the stack becomes cumulatively bulky due to the significant thickness of the disclosed sampler package, thus creating a "footballing" effect in the stack of magazines.
Cosmetic sampler packages formed as pouches from composite laminates are capable of containing a greater amount of product relative to the amount of packaging material while also being flexible and capable of retaining a much flatter shape when filled than the package disclosed in Daniel. With such packages, however, it is essential that the package have a burst strength sufficient to endure the oftentimes rigorous conditions of shipment, including extremely large amounts of pressure and weight potentially exerted on the sampler packages when stacked in magazines, etc.
Another sampler package disclosed in Meehan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,574, provides a sampler for a liquid product contained in a flexible envelope made from a film material. The sampler is protected from bursting by sandwiching the edges of the envelope between two layers of a rigid material having a combined thickness at least that of the envelope having the product contained therein. To sample the product, however, one must detach the envelope from the rigid layers, rather than simply opening and testing the product while still affixed in the package.
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art discussed above, it is therefore desirable to provide a sampler package designed for distribution as an insert in subscription rate periodical literature which has enhanced burst strength, allows a consumer to view the shade or texture of the product before opening the sampler, allows a consumer to test or sample the product with the sampler remaining affixed to the carrier medium, and which is substantially flat or non-bulky to avoid a cumulative "footballing" effect.